Method and apparatus for braiding reenforced cords



- 1 618,033 1927' J. b. WILLIAMS METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BRAIDING"REENFORCED corms Filed May 9. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet" '1' INVENTOR JOHNPALE WlLLl/XMS BYA' ATTORNEY- 1618,033 Feb. 15,1927. J D. WLUAMSMETHOD-AND APPARATUS-FOR BRAIDING nsgwoncnn corms Filed May 9. 1924 2Sheetg-Sheet 2 INV ENTOR JOHN PAl E WILLIAMS YBYXQWW ATTORNEY anadjustable 'worm gear 24 which engages a worm wheel 25, adjustablymounted on the shaft 15. The other end of the shaft carries a changegear 26, which meshes with a second change gear 27. The change gear 27is mounted on the shaft 28 at the extreme left end of which there issecured a beveled gear 29.. This beveled gear drives the pair of beveledgears 30, which are rotatable on the shaft 31. Well known reversingmechanism 32 ismovable longitudinally on the shaft 31 by means of thehandle 33, but is prevented .from rotation on the shaft by a feather 34also partially shown in dotted lines. ries one of the knurled pulleys 19and at its other end carries a spur gear 35. The other 'knurled pulley19 is carried by a shaft 36 which is mounted for a limited lateral movement by reason of its mounting on the pivot 37 secured to a portion ofthe frame and because of the spring 60. The shaft 36 is driven by a spurgear 38, which meshes with the spur gear 35.. The shaft 31 also carriesa sprocket wheel 38, which actuates a chain 39 for driving the lowerpair of belts 23 of the lower take-up device. This lower take-up devicehas been previously described as consisting of the pairs of pulleys 21and 22 which carry the grooved belts 23 and which are driven from thechain 39 as u ill now be described.

The pulley 22 is secured to a shaft 41' a spur gear 42 which engageswith a similar spur gear (not shown), but which is carried on the shaft62. A bracket 43 supported on the lower portion of the frame,

carries'a thread guiding ring '44, which is positioned within theopening between the pairs of pulleys 19 and 21.

The method of braiding cords on the improved braiding machine issubstantially as follows: On starting the braiding machine, after it isinitially threaded, the operator .gathers the threads 45 which are toform the braid and holds them until a short holoperation and the take-updevice including the pair of belts 20, elevates the cord during the timethat the reenforced portion 48 of The shaft 31 at one of its ends car-"the covering is being applied. The mentioned short tube is then trimmedoff. \Vhen the reenforced covering has been braided on the cord to thepoint designated 49, the Operator stops the [machine and pulls the cord12 downward to eliminate the slack in the threads, starts the machinewith its takeup devices operating in the reverse 'dirmrtion andcontinues'to pull down on the cord until its lower end can be engagedbetween the grooved belts 23. The cord continues its downward movementthrough the braiding machine until it is all covered, at which time theconductors 50 are pulled through the threads and the hollow braid thatis then produced, serves as a'stay-cord.

short length of the hollow braid is then cut oil. from the cord andserves as a means for holding the threads 45 together, while an othercord is being positionedinthe braiding machine. It will be understood,although it has not been so described, that while the cord 12 is beingelevated the lower pair of bolts 23 may cooperate with the upper pair ofbelts, and while the cord is being pulled downward, the upper pair ofbelts 20 may engage the cord to serve as a guide. I

Instead of using pairsv of grooved belts 20 and 23 to grip. and pull thecord, the

pairs of pulleys 18, 19, 21 and 22 may be replaced by grooved resilientrubber rolls to pull the cord, in which case the pairs of belts 20 and23 are of narrow width to engage only a portion of the surface of therolls at one side of the grooves to drivethem. In such an arrangementthe pairsof rolls 18 and 19 are placed near each other, and the pairs ofrolls 21. and 22 are located close enough together so that the cord willbe fed between them.

Theinvention herein disclosed is not limited to the present embodiments,but contemplates any means for moving a switchboard cord longitudinallyin one direction Ill) and then'in the opposite direction, while acovering of braid is being applied.

\Vhat I claim is: p

1'. In a mechanism of-the character described, the combination with abraiding machine for braiding threads around a shortlength cord, of athread guide, and takeup devices for said cord at opposite sides ofthread guide, said take-up devices being relatively close to said threadguide.

2. In a mechanism of the character described, the combination with acord braid ing machine, of a take-up device for moving a cord throughsaid braiding machine while a covering is braided on said cord, a sourceof power, a single reversing means between said source of power and;saidtake-up device for'rever'sing-the direction of operation of said take-updevice.

3. In a device of the character described,

opening, and means for driving said takeup devlce.

4. In a device of the eharacterdescribed,

a base having an opening about which a' track extends, spool carriers,means for driving at least a portion of said spool carriers on saidtrack, a take-up device extending through said opening, means fordriving said take-up device, and means for reversing the direction ofoperation of said take-up device. f v

5. In a device of the character described, a base having an openingabout which a track extends, spool carriers, means for driving at leasta portion of said spool carriers on said track, a take-up deviceextending through said opening, means for driving said take-up device, asecond take-up device adjacent to and cooperating with said firstmentioned take-up device, and means for driving said second take-updevice.

6. In a device of the character described, a base having an openingabout which a. track extends, spools of-thread for braiding a coveringon cords, means for driving at least a portion of said spools on saidtrack, a

take-up device extending through said opening, a second take-up device,means for driving said take-up devices, and means for reversing saiddriving means.

7. The method of applying a reenforced braided covering to ashort-length cord, which consists in moving said cord in one directionwhile a ree'nforcing covering is being braided thereon, and then movingsaid cord at a uniform speed in the opposite direction while theremainder of the covering is being braided on substantially the Wholelength of the cord.

9. In a mechanism of the character described, the combination. with abraiding machine for braiding a covering on a shortlength telephonecord, of a pair of grooved take-up members for moving said. cord throughsaid braidin machine, and means for moving said mem ers, first inonedirec-' tion to braid .a reenforcing covering on'a portion of said cordand then in the oppos te direction, to braid a covering on said cord,

extending substantially from one end to the other by said secondmovement. v

- 10. In a mechanism of the character described, the combination with abraiding machine for braiding threads around a' shortlength telephonecord, of a thread guide, and

a take-up device near to said thread guide, said take-up deviceincluding a pair of gripping members in rotaryengagement for moving saidcord first in one direction while a reenforcing covering is braided froman intermediate point on said cord to one end thereof and then in theopposite direction through said thread guide while an outer covering isbeing applied to said cord.

, 11. The method of applying a reenforced braided covering to ashort-length cord,

which consists in, pulling the cord in one direction with a uniformmovement while a short reenforcing covering is being braided thereon,and then pulling the cord with a uniform movement in the oppositedirection While the braid is being braided thereon over substantiallythe entire length of the cord and over said reenforcing covering.

12. The method of applying a reenforced braided covering to ashort-length telephone cord, which consists in pushin and pulling saidcord in one direction whi e a reenforcing portion of the braid is beingapplied thereto, and then pushing and pullin the cord in the oppositedirection to app y an outer covering of braid thereto from substantially one end to'the other over said reenforced portion. I

13. The method of applying a reenforce braided covering to ashort-length telephone cord, which consists in moving said cord in onedirection while a short reenforced covmoving said cord in the oppositedirection while the remainder of this covering is being applied thereon,at least one of said mentioned movements being as a result of pushingsaid cor-d. x

14. The method of applying a reenforcinq braided covering to ashort-length cor which consists in holding the threads to form a hollowbraided tube, insertin the cord between certain of the threads'with thehollow braided tube adjacent an intermediate point on said cord, movingthe cord in one direction, while braid is applied to said cord from saidintermediate point to one end thereof,-trimming off said hollow tubeduring this mentioned movement, and then moving the cord in. theopposite direction,

while a braided covering is applied substan} tially from one end of thecord to the other.

15.'The method of applying a reenforced I braided covering to. ashort-length cord, 1

which consists in inserting the cord between certain of the braidthreads, which are held together by a hollow tube of braid formed as asurplus when the stay-cord of the previ! ous cord was braided, movingthe cord in one direction, while braid is applied to said cord. from anintermediate point to one end 1 threads to form a hollow stay-cord, andcutthereof, trimmin 0E said hollow tube durting the stay-cord at anintermediate point ing this last mentioned movement, then movso. thatthe threads are held together by a 10 ing the cord in the oppositedirection, while 1 hollow tube of braid. 5 a braided covering is beingapplied substan- In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe I tially fromone end of the cord to the other, my name this 6th day of May, A. D.1924. pulling out the conductors through the JOHN DALE WILLIAMS.

